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Offensive skid catches up to Cardinals

Offensive skid catches up to Cardinals

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Freese's single 0:22

10/14/13: David Freese leads off the fifth inning with a single to right that falls just out of the reach of a diving Yasiel Puig

By Adam McCalvy
/
MLB.com |

LOS ANGELES -- The National League's most potent lineup during the regular season finds itself in unexpected company this postseason, ranking among some of baseball's most historically impotent offenses.

In the wake of the Cardinals' 3-0 loss to the Dodgers in Game 3 of the NL Championship Series on Monday night, consider some startling numbers:

• Through their first eight games this postseason, the Cards were hitting .180. The lowest team batting average in postseason history for a team that played seven or more games belongs to the 2012 Yankees, who batted .188 in nine games.

Busted sticks

Lowest team batting average in postseason history

Team

Year

G

AB

R

H

Avg.

Cardinals

2013

8

255

25

46

.180

Yankees

2012

9

320

22

60

.188

Dodgers

1956

7

215

25

42

.195

Twins

1965

7

215

20

42

.195

Athletics

1974

9

262

27

52

.198

Yankees

1962

7

221

20

44

.199

Robins

1920

7

215

8

44

.205

Athletics

1973

12

401

36

83

.207

Yankees

1921

8

241

22

50

.207

Braves

1957

7

225

23

47

.209

Yankees

1958

7

233

29

49

.210

Orioles

1969

8

280

25

59

.211

Indians

1998

10

331

38

71

.215

Phillies

2010

9

289

33

62

.215

Dodgers

1952

7

233

20

50

.215

Orioles

1983

9

293

37

63

.215

Athletics

1972

12

390

29

84

.215

Yankees

1952

7

232

26

50

.216

Reds

1970

8

264

29

57

.216

Red Sox

1967

7

222

21

48

.216

Cardinals

1996

10

315

33

69

.219

Indians

1995

15

515

59

113

.219

Red Sox

1912

8

273

25

60

.220

Athletics

1931

7

227

22

50

.220

Cardinals

1967

7

229

25

51

.223

Minimum of seven games

• These Cardinals are only the sixth team in Major League history to be held to four hits or fewer four times in one postseason.

• The Cards are also the only team in MLB history to win two postseason games in which they were held to three hits or fewer -- Game 4 of the NL Division Series against the Pirates and Game 2 of the NLCS against the Dodgers.

• This all comes after a regular season in which St. Louis led the NL with 783 runs scored, a .332 on-base percentage and a .330 average with runners in scoring position -- 59 points better than the runner-up Rockies. After going hitless in only one chance in Game 3, the Cardinals are batting .194 with runners in scoring position this postseason.

Yet St. Louis dispatched Pittsburgh in the NLDS and leads the NLCS, 2-1.

"We have to find a way," said right fielder Carlos Beltran, who is 2-for-11 in the series and drove in all three Cards runs in their Game 1 win. "Right now, we're getting good pitching from us, from them. I think this series is about pitching. The guys that pitch the best, those are the teams that are going to move up. We've seen that. It's going to continue. We need to find a way to have better at-bats and probably score a few runs.

"We're confident in our team. We're confident in ourselves. If we're here, and we put ourselves in this situation, I think we have what it takes to go on and win. We have to find a way right now."

The next opportunity comes in Game 4 (Tuesday at 7 p.m. CT on TBS).

"We just have to stick with our approach," said center fielder Jon Jay, who is 1-for-10 in the NLCS. "We have a lot of good hitters on this team. We're a good offense. We just have to go out and continue to grind and fight, and good things will happen for us."

Others have similarly slim averages so far in the series. Left fielder and No. 3 hitter Matt Holliday is 0-for-12. Second baseman and leadoff man Matt Carpenter is 2-for-11 in the NLCS and 3-for-30 this postseason. Slugging first baseman Matt Adams is 1-for-10 with five strikeouts in the NLCS.

Offense in a funk

Fewest hits by a team through three games of a postseason series

Year

Series

Team

Opponent

Hits

1906

WS

White Sox

Cubs

9

2010

NLDS

Reds

Phillies

11

1915

WS

Phillies

Red Sox

11

2012

NLDS

Giants

Reds

12

1969

WS

Orioles

Mets

12

2013

NLCS

Cardinals

Dodgers

13

2001

WS

Yankees

D-backs

13

1998

ALDS

Rangers

Yankees

13

1966

WS

Dodgers

Orioles

13

1911

WS

Giants

Athletics

13

Courtesy: Elias Sports Bureau

The Dodgers have something to do with this; starters Zack Greinke, Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu were all terrific. On Tuesday, the Cardinals expected to draw right-hander Ricky Nolasco, who has not started for the Dodgers since Sept. 25 and has not pitched competitively since Sept. 29, when he received a one-inning tuneup against Colorado. Nolasco has kept busy by maintaining his usual between-starts routine and throwing approximately 80 pitches in a simulated game Wednesday.

Nolasco owns a 3.84 ERA in 11 career appearances against the Cards, including 10 starts. There are some promising matchups. Beltran is a .340 (16-for-47) hitter against Nolasco, and Holliday a .462 hitter (12-for-26). Third baseman David Freese is 6-for-12, but he left Game 3 with a tight right calf and is questionable. Jay is 7-for-13.

"We're fortunate that we won the first two," Freese said. "Obviously [it was] a tough loss today, but we've got to get the sticks going a little bit."

"It's the postseason; runs are at a premium," Said Carpenter. "Pitchers are locked in and trying to avoid big innings. We know what kind of offense we're capable of being. We haven't gotten that going yet. Hopefully that changes tomorrow."

Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Brew Beat, and follow him on Twitter at @AdamMcCalvy. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.